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April. Wow. It’s already April, and the past year has been a blur. The move to grad school, meeting my newest nephew (he’s the most gorgeous baby ever – I’m not biased, really), getting acclimated to MIT and Boston, meeting some of the best friends anyone could ask for. I’m not sure how so much love and learning have squeezed themselves into such a short year, but alas, here we are. Boston’s weather is holding to the expected ‘April showers,’ and I can think of nothing better to break up the gloom than some ooey-gooey, break-your-heart, phenomenal chocolate chip cookies.

Honestly, what more could I possibly say than “Chocolate Chip Cookies”? This is the holy grail of baking. It’s a simple, amazing dish with the power to win over even the harshest critics. BUT, and this is a big but, only if you can get them right. There are so many recipes out there claiming to be the best and, believe me, I’ve tried most of them. Many of them are great in their own way; many of them are disappointing. Each person has their own “perfect” version of chocolate chip cookies – crispy, chocolatey, gooey, crunchy – there is something about them that can send you into a tailspin of delicious nostalgia.

*I was provided the beautiful glass dome stands by CommercialSilk.com* Thank you to CommercialSilk.com for providing me with this product, free of charge, in exchange for a feature in this blog post. All opinions are 100% my own. (:

For me, the best chocolate chip cookie has to have the just-right crispiness on the outside, combined with a soft, but not too chewy inside. It has to stay the right texture, and have that certain “something” to the flavor that so many recipes lack. But I find that chocolate chip cookies are VERY sensitive to changes in the recipe. So, I tested. And I tested some more. And, then, I tested some more. Each round of testing has been given to friends, family members, really whoever I could find (to make the sacrifice of eating a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie). Folks, we have a winner here. The recipe is a simple one, but oh so delicious. The secret is in the steps, and a few key ingredients. Do the steps in order, and buy the right ingredients. That’s it.

Another life change, another blog post. Remember some time ago (oh, say, two and half years?) when we exulted in the joy of my finally being in the same city as my husband? Well, here we are, and a few amazing coincidences later, we are back on the long-distance bandwagon. Honestly, I thought this would be a brutal experience. But, the combined effect of wonderful people, an incredible new city, and a truly great grad school program (did I mention I started my master’s degree?) – and I can only report happiness. But, here’s the real point of excitement – I finally have some time to post about delicious goodies!

I have to say, I’m so grateful for the friends that have guided my way around the Boston food scene. From dim sum, to coffee, to bubble tea, to blow-your-mind cannolis – there is so much goodness to experience. And it is impossible not to be inspired. That is one of the best and worst parts about it – do you know how difficult it is to be perpetually inspired, but not have any time to post? Today, we are going to begin our journey into an extensive backlog of recipes that I have been preparing for months.

You might know by now that I was born in Cuba – but what you probably don’t know yet is that my husband is a true Southern man, born and raised in the beautiful state of Georgia. I, too, spent part of my childhood in Georgia, and I’ve made it a point to find the best Southern recipes around, including his family’s breakfast sausage gravy. Now, I’ll share the recipe for the gravy in a future post, but today we are going to cover one of my personal obsessions: gravy biscuits.

Anyone who grew up in the South will tell you – biscuits are not just one recipe. They are a category of recipes. There are biscuits for tea, biscuits for gravy, biscuits for jam. There are sweet biscuits, flaky biscuits, buttery biscuits, savory biscuits. Because biscuits are not about just the biscuit – they about what they are eaten with. For years now, I have dedicated myself to a search for the “just right” gravy biscuit. Gravy biscuits can’t be too sweet to go with the gravy, or too crumbly to go against its weight. You need the perfect partner for the creamy, meaty gravy (I know, I’m taunting you) that will go on top. After an extensive investigation, I put together a recipe that has become our household go-to. It comes together easily, but it is most definitely “just right.” As always, if you find any delicious changes or modifications, or have any suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

I don’t know why this never ceases to surprise me, but most people I meet have never eaten Cuban food. Now, considering the sum total population of 11MM people on the island, you would think “hey, Damaris – that’s to be expected.” Now, whenever I meet someone, it feels like it is my mission from the universe to make sure they experience Cuban food, Thai food, Korean food, Japanese food, and Vietnamese food – at a minimum (and in that order). It isn’t always the simplest thing to quickly cook up some Cuban black bean stew or some ropa vieja – but gosh darn it, I will at least fry up some Cuban empanadas.

If you have experienced at least a simple (and incredibly, crazy delicious) street food from each of these places, I feel like my universe debt is paid. Because we need to cover our bases in order – we’ll start you off with Cuban. Empanadas were one of the first Cuban dishes I ever learned to make. My mom taught me, and this was one of our tag-team recipes, where she would prepare the filling, and then I would shape and close the empanada. If you have little ones of your own, you might find this is a great recipe for keeping those little hands busy without making a lot of mess.

There are so many different doughs and fillings you can use to make empanadas that this recipe is just the way to open a door to a world of creativity. You can go sweet, salty, gooey, crunchy. Our personal favorites use either picadillo, or guava paste and cream cheese. The Cuban kitchen is all about being resourceful – using what’s available, using up leftovers, making the most of everything. These are a great way to enjoy the heck out of some leftover meat, veggie, or rice dishes. Do me a favor – help me ease my debt to the universe, and go make yourself some empanadas. I promise this is one debt that’s actually very fun to repay.

It is almost September, and I am nearing one year of residence in Tennesse (wow!). These last few months have been a whirlwind. Between starting a new job, finally getting to move in with my husband, and buying a house, life has seldom slowed down. But the onset of Fall brings wonderful things, and this time it has brought a small spot of peace and quiet in an otherwise crazy life. Today, I want to share with you a recipe that I learned from my mother. When I was little, this was one of our “tag team” recipes. When you have to bread meat, it is a good idea to have a ‘little helper’ to be the dry hands or the wet hands, depending on your preference. It’s not only a great bonding experience, it’s also a good first lesson on working with raw meat (which, let’s face it, can be pretty off-putting at first).

Growing up, I was a little confused by the term “steak.” You see, in our household, steak was a very thin slice of meat, well-seasoned, and well-done. Imagine my surprise when I encountered the barely-seasoned, thick-cut steak that is the American standard. Where were the garlic, the onions – why was the meat so thick? Wait, people actually eat this stuff RAW (to me, ‘pink’ was raw)?! Needless to say, I have come a long way in my steak eating adventures. And, yes, now I will also eat medium-well steaks.

But, let me take you on a little trip to our Cuban home, where breaded and fried Cuban steak was the ultimate ‘treat’ meal. It’s an aroma that inundates the house – you know it as soon as you walk in. As a kid, the smell of ‘Bistec Empanizado’ triggered an instant run-to-the-kitchen-just-to-verify. It was glorious. To this day, I’ve never met a person who didn’t love this dish (save a few vegetarians who, to be fair, have never tried it). It is a staple at Cuban restaurants, and it is a traditional dish in Cuban homes.

At the risk of being way too early for this, I honestly can’t help myself. Today was our first cool morning of the year, the first vestige of the oncoming Fall season. Oh, I know. You’re not ready for summer to be over yet, please Damaris, don’t talk about it. Oh, but I can’t help it! My heart is swelling with the thought of smoky air and a kaleidoscopic world of multicolor leaves. To think that I will soon be able to decorate the house with glass pumpkins and cute scarecrows, to know that our Fall vegetables will bloom in the garden… it is magical. So, here is my daring entrance into the Fall season, even though it seems the rest of the world is not quite as fond of it as I am.

My husband and I have been making an effort in the last year to continue our course toward habitually eating well. Mind you, I refuse to put anything in my mouth that I will not absolutely relish. I am a mere 5’2″ and I just don’t have the calories to waste. Here is one of my favorite creations – the Trickster Treat Double Chocolate Muffins. Why “Trickster,” you ask? Well, if I could ask you to make this recipe blindfolded, try it, and then tell me what you thought was in it – boy, would you be tricked. To prevent some major potential fire hazards, I’ll just spoil the trick.

This recipe has no oil, no butter, and is made with whole wheat flour, flax seed meal, and bran flakes. I promise – one of these, and you will be full for a good, long while. But here’s the real trick – these are tastier than a lot of the regular chocolate muffins I’ve had. You’re welcome.

Whenever I’ve tried to describe malanga to someone in the past, it’s usually limited to: “well, it’s kind of like a potato.” Do you like potatoes? If you don’t…I just, I don’t know what to do with that. But if you do, think of malanga as potato’s long, thin cousin (because we all have one). It’s a starchy root vegetable with a good deal of nutritional value and a lot of digestive benefits. In Cuban cuisine, this style of puree is typical for a lunch meal, and would commonly be eaten for lunch with an egg over-medium on top.

Growing up, I heard countless tales of the miraculous healing powers that this puree has for the stomach. You’ll have to be the judge on that, but, whether or not it has the power to heal, it can definitely be a deliciously fluffy side dish to many a Cuban entree. That being said, this is probably not the first thing I would make for someone trying Cuban food for the first time. This is more of a second-date dish (if you date your food, that is). My husband just laughed out loud at that last sentence – apparently “dating my food” is very me. Well, ain’t no disguising the truth.

Now, as a proper Cuban, I have a love affair with garlic. I do my best to dial it down for the sake of everyone’s breath, but let’s face it, garlic is a wonderful thing. I’ve included just a hint of garlic in this recipe, but it really makes all the difference between a bland puree and a tasty side dish – don’t skip it! As always, I’d love to know what changes/additions/subtractions you have found to make tasty twists on this recipe!

Ok, so first things first – I’m back! In the last three months, just about everything has changed in my life. I started a new job, my husband and I are finally working in the same state (wooo!), and I have happily kissed the days of long-distance marriage goodbye. Forgiiiive me for how long I had to be gone. As it happens, packing and unpacking can take forever if you happen to be starting a new job at the same time (and let’s not even talk about what happens when the winter holidays begin in the middle of that). But, in order to christen this happy new time – my husband and I worked on this post together!

Here’s a question – have you ever had ramen noodles in a non-college setting? Better yet, have you had ramen noodles that are not microwaveable? If you have, it’s quite possible you know just how amazing they are. Seriously. Ramen is one of those things you can either whip up with a quick broth and a few additions, or go all out and make a broth that takes all day. But I think it’s fair to say – there’s no good ramen without good ramen noodles. This is the first in a series of trials we will do, testing which noodles are the best. For this recipe, we did three variations, each time with a slightly wetter dough. Since I’ve had these noodles three times since making them (no, really, I’ll take this one for the team), I can say that all three variations taste the same once cooked – so it’s a pretty forgiving recipe.

While this is the first ramen noodles post – this is far from the first recipe we’ve tested. There are some great aspects to this particular recipe: the noodle texture holds up well once cooked. Some ramen noodle recipes, while tasting great, will give a noodle that falls apart more quickly (as in – you better start eating as soon as the noodles hit the broth). It’s a great recipe for freezing in individual-size portions; it’s also fairly quick and inexpensive; and, lastly, it doesn’t have the same numb-your-mouth level of salt that other recipes have. Since ramen broths can be fairly salty to begin with, these noodles are a great compliment to any broth!

I’m sorry – I really wish I could say there wasn’t a catch. There’s definitely a catch. This recipe requires a pasta roller and an angel hair cutter. If you have to do your cutting by hand, ramen noodles can become a big time investment. I will, however, say that I definitely used to cut my ramen noodles by hand. So, to me, it was still worth it. If you’re feeling a little bit out of the box tonight – this might be your night to make ramen! I’d love to know how this recipe turns out for you and what tips or tricks you might have to make it better!

I am here briefly to say this: I have been absolutely broken-hearted that I’ve neglected you and I’m sooo anxious and excited to get back with you all again soon! As life would have it, my blogging time has required a brief intermission as I take care of some details in my personal life. But rest assured, the delicious stuff of your dreams is coming soon! I will be back in ******UPDATE* Next week! (Mid-January)****** with a slew of truly addicting, amazing, slobber-inducing goodies. Luckily, there has still been time for kitchen experimentation, and I can’t wait to share it all with you!

It’s raining outside. And as the sun goes down in a long, white stretch across the sky outside my window, I can’t help but think that this is what peace looks like. There is some inexplicable thing about the sky and the rain that makes them seem to exude life. Or maybe they do actually exude life. I’m not sure I’ll ever know, but I’m pretty content to just sit here and watch. The thing is, life is just so exciting if we learn to explore new things.

This week has been a project for me. I’ve been challenged to limit my carbs to one meal per day, either breakfast or lunch. If you have any idea how much I cherish dinner, the one time day I actually have time to make a proper meal, you know this is a significant sacrifice for me. Well, at least, that’s what I thought, too. I spent most of Monday dreading dinner-time, sad that I would be missing out on a normal meal.

You see, it’s hard for me to think that any meal without carbs could be worth eating. It’s a mindset that has been proven wrong over and over again, but I have a hard time believing it each time. Anyway, as the day progressed, I thought of some of the things I enjoy the most that would be easy to make and would somehow disprove my skepticism. Cuban “picadillo” is a ground beef dish that I’ve made for many friends of many different backgrounds – and it always goes over well. The best part about it is that it goes together so quickly, but that you still end up with a meal that looks like it took hours of laborious effort. Typically, picadillo is served over white rice. But, in this low carb variation, the meat is combined with steamed napa cabbage, where the picadillo’s tasty sauce happily complements the flavor of the vegetable. I promise you, this is one dinner you won’t soon forget.

Wow, life has been crazy recently. One weekend involving two 8 hour drives (and two audiobooks), 3 days of feeling dead-to-the-world tired, several cups of tea, and 1 honey oat bran loaf later – I am back to reality. I don’t know about you guys, but I can smell Fall in the air outside. The crisp notes of cooler times coming our way, the hint of slightly wet leaves and grass, the tinge of something reminiscent of smoke in the air. I loooooove the Fall. And right now I am just aching inside for Fall festivals, pumpkin picking, and jumping around in piles of leaves.

That being said, if you’re a Fall lover like me, this loaf is one way to sneakily begin to celebrate the arrival of the season. It’s got the warm touch of Fall dishes, while still being enough like a regular loaf bread to be acceptable in the summer. And, along with it is the recipe for one of the easiest (and most delicious) things you can ever make: butter. Seriously, ten minutes, tops. And it’s sooo good. Plus, it’s actually kind of fun.

Grab a mug of cocoa (or lemonade, depending on your favorite season) and snuggle up on the couch to enjoy a slice of this loaf. It’s got a smooth glaze around it’s edges that will simply make your mouth water. If you come across good variations, changes, subtractions, or additions, let me know! I’d love to hear how they turn out!